Monday, July 24, 2017

RIP Microsoft Paint

Microsoft's upcoming Windows 10 update, referred to as "Autumn", promises a host of brand-new features. One feature, however, is slated to be done away with. Microsoft Paint, which has been a staple of Windows since Windows 1.0 debuted in 1985, has been added to the list of "features that are removed or depreciated". What this means is that, while Microsoft Paint may not be removed immediately, active development on the program has been halted and it's only a matter of time before it's removed completely.

I can't say that it comes as a complete surprise to me. After all, MSPaint has been surpassed by several other third party programs out there, specifically Paint.net as well as Microsoft's own Paint 3D. Still, Microsoft Paint is a simple, useful program. I still use it to save screenshots I've taken via the old reliable [PRT SCRN] or [ALT][PRT SCRN] method. And it's still the easiest method for quickly resizing JPEGs without having to pay through the nose to use Adobe Photoshop. And it's still the best program available for making low effort MEMEs.

Again, MSPaint isn't going anywhere....for now. But, if it should disappear, there are a number of good free alternatives to the plucky little program that might help you get over the shock: